"I'd like to get back for this series but I definitely have faith in my teammates. Obviously, they have been playing very well since the last road trip of the season. I've got total faith they can do it without me on the court."

The 22-year-old center will have a weekly checkup with his spine disorder specialist this afternoon.

"He's coming along," Gentry said. "I would say he's not ready right now but he's made unbelievable progress the last 10 days. We'll see how it goes. He continues to improve every day. Sure, we would love to have him. You need size to guard Tim (Duncan). If we had that, that would be a big plus for us. If we don't, we have to play with what we have."

The three off-days were good for Steve Nash, who said his right hip strain felt "a lot better." With two or more days rest this season, Nash averaged 19 points and 12 assists with 53 percent shooting.

• Game 1:Suns 111, Spurs 102
• Game 2: Wednesday, at Phoenix, 6 p.m. (TNT)
• Game 3: May 7, at San Antonio, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• Game 4: May 9, at San Antonio, 5 p.m. (TNT)
• Game 5:* May 11, at Phoenix, TBD (TNT)
• Game 6:* May 13, at San Antonio, TBD (ESPN)
• Game 7:* May 16, at Phoenix, TBD (TNT)* - if necessary